Family

Errands

Today is errand day, much to the chagrin of the dog pack who stay at home alone while we run around.  My husband is here so we use the car to do some things that simply cannot be done (or could only be done in several trips) on my bike Baby.

It is not a very exciting topic, none the less, like every house Tiny Houses also require this rather boring but required stuff done.  I think that ignoring this, would be not just inaccurate but also negligent because in my blog I am trying to share what it is like for a woman/writer/artist to build, make livable and live in a Tiny House.

So, here goes!

The steel bits had to be brought to the Kimco free metal drop of on concession.  The recycling too had to come to town and be dropped off similarly, just off of concession at the depot.  I had one small shopping bag of garbage which I dropped into a city can on one of the street corners.  I had to get raw dog food at the specialty store.  I had to do two loads of laundry to wash which I will hang up when I get back to THO.  I also wanted to update my blog and to connect with a friend of a friend who I spoke to yesterday because he is in contact with my late neighbour Dan’s children who are very dear to me and with whom I lost contact when I moved a few years ago.  I am grateful to have the opportunity to connect with them again!  Thank you Ian!

Relatively speaking this is a small list but as always when one has errands it takes a good deal of the day to get them accomplished.

A lot of details.  A little bit to look forward to.  That is about it for the day.

I hope your day goes great!

Categories: Family, Forest, Off Grid, Tiny House Ontario | Leave a comment

Rocky Paths and Just Dessert

If you have ever owned property, you will probably know that almost everything that you do is basically two steps forward and one back.  In my case, when the steel went up, the gate went down and the stone walkway which was just laying there settling, had to be removed.

Today we had fairly good weather warm but with a nice breeze, so I resized the gate and put it back in.  It also had to be turned around so that the hinge side is on the post and not on the house because I do not want a bunch of screw holes in the steel.  Because I turned it around I also need to buy a gate hitch.

I did not put the flag stone back into place because I did not have the time.  Instead I had a shower at my sister’s home and drove to Kingston for the wake of my friend’s mom.  I am slightly uncomfortable with going to services such as this in my bike because someone made fun of me when I attended one such service last year on the bike.  Nonetheless, I think there are some things that cannot be helped.

Today, both life and death have stumbling blocks and rocky paths.  Still, the sun is shining and  I am taking time to treat myself well.  I have a comfy seat here where the coffee and service is great (at the Mug and Truffle at 350 King East.) and I am having a lovely cuppa with a treat… mmmm.   If you get a chance to pop in for some air-conditioning and perhaps something yummy, tell them that Tiny House Laura sent you.  If I am there, please say hi and please don’t sit at my table, unless you will share it with me.

Categories: Family, Food, Friendship, Ontario, Tiny House Ontario, Writing | Leave a comment

My Self Shelf

Space is an issue at Tiny House Ontario.   I have read a lot of words from other Tiny Housers and they all have different strategies but for the most part containing yourself within a Tiny House takes some thought.  I am fortunate because I have a lot of time to transition because I own another home in another city but even so, living in and containing myself within Tiny House Ontario is my objective.

My strategy was to bring the things that I knew I would NEED and also to bring the things that I feel that my life would not be complete without.  Margaret Lawrence wrote in her book, The Diviners, something to the effect that she need not have kept it because her head was sturdy enough containment and I suppose she is right.  Even so, there are things that simply ground me and I guess they feel spiritually important to my person.  I have two shelves with just such items on it.  This contains:

 

A large photo of my family on Violet (grandma’s) side.

An oil burner from my trip to the Czech republic which is made by burning it under the earth in the old way.

The Black Maria pewter icon from Germany.

A Pope Joan tile from my friend Ginny.

A 75 year old mutant sheep foot.

A graduation gift from my friend Aaron it is the Queen’s shield on pewter.

Photos of my late dogs.

A Chutski from Professor Kobayashi who was one of my mentors.

Altar items such as my grounding stones, essential oils, a burning shell, tarot and medicine wheel cards, ritual oil burner.

A Tiny glass globe which makes me hope that everything in the world will become clear.

A sign I made from a slice of a tree that was removed for my driveway which says: Treating yourself like a precious object will make you strong. ~Julia Cameron

A yogi from Bali.

An inlayed box from BC made my the Haidas.

A few things that my son made for me when he was wee, as well as a soapstone carving he did when he was about 20.

Rosie the Riveter on a little black box.

A penny jar that says hopes and dreams – I put found change into this because I read once many years ago that found change has a spiritual significance, if you pick it up – it brings good things to you whereas if you ignore it, then you are throwing away your opportunity at good karma.

A photo of Violet and Bob taken near the end of the Great Depression when things were just starting to look up for them and others.

The Artist’s Way work.

Books that I am writing.

If you had only about 2 square feet to contain your favourite things, could you do it?

Categories: Family, Forest, Friendship, Laura Moreland, Materialism, Stuff, Tiny House Ontario | Leave a comment

Tie a Yellow Ribbon…

My cousin Beth’s husband Paul is returning from being stationed in Kabul.  I thought, since Tiny House Ontario has a HUGE oak tree (named Bonny) that we would welcome Paul back home by putting a huge yellow ribbon on her.

At the store I purchased two-and a half inch wide, satin yellow ribbon, in a 12 foot long roll.  I imagined Bonny with a lovely big yellow bow to flamboyantly welcome Paul home!  It made me happy to think about and be able to do a little something to acknowledge the sacrifices that he and Beth make.

I went to tie the ribbon on, only then did I realized that Bonny is not just huge but something beyond huge.  So there was not enough ribbon left after going around her big trunk to make a nice bow.

Actually, there was not even enough ribbon to go all the way around Bonny!

Bonny is apparently 14-15 feet around!  So I tied a piece of red ribbon in there for the rest of Canada so that we could all welcome him home.  He will only be here for a short time before he has to return.

God speed to you Paul.

Categories: Family, Forest, Friendship, Magical, Tiny House Ontario | Leave a comment

Good Morning!

Hj, will you take a photo of the dog pile, please?

He responds, I am not very good at taking photos of people.

My famous last words are, you can’t go wrong when you take a photo of the dog pile, it always looks cute!

Well… true that they are all cute!

As for me…

I think that I look like  someone shit on my Wheaties and the culprit might just be the photographer!

Poor Hj!

Categories: Dogs, Family, Off Grid, Ontario, Tiny House Ontario | Leave a comment